Savatage:-
Very good performance, a mixture of new & old tracks with highlights being Sirens, Hall of the Mountain King , 24 HRS & Gutter Ballet. Singing duties were split between Jon Oliva & "new singer", a solid set well received.
Judas Priest:-
Set list:- This has all the songs played but the order is probably a bit off, blame the drink!!
Stage set:-
Nothing to exciting, a Demolition backdrop, drum riser, Marshall stacks on either side in cabinets with what looks to be the 'devils pitchfork' melting embossed on the front, or something like that?, the cabs also have strip lighting along the top that changes colour. Ripper has a mike stand with the 'Devils Pitchfork' on the bottom which was nice, he has some costume changes throughout the gig staring with a long metallic coat for Metal Gods, very apt, then some denim & studs & some leather for Painkiller if I remember rightly. Also the bike comes on for Painkiller.
Review:-
Well It has to be said that it was great to see the Band close up in a non seated venue after previously seeing them either from the Balcony or at the back in a seat with a hulking 6ft plus poddled haired being in front, you get a good impression of how much the band enjoys playing & touring from a close up perspective. Glen was smiling all the way through, taking time to do some snarling at the front rows at points & getting lost in his solos which were of course excellent, KK was also active, punching the air getting his side of the crowd well fired up. Ripper played a cooler card, strutting about commanding the stage with authority & some showmanship, there is no question of his singing ability live as he effortlessly hits the high notes which precision & ease. His communication with the audience is limited to introducing songs & getting some sing alongs going but thats all thats needed really. Scott provided a solid beat & seemed happy, smiling away, twirling & throwing his sticks about, Ian as usual was rooted to his spot stage right , head banging away getting the job done.
Song wise a lot of old favourites are there, now this could be a good or bad thing depending on your point of view, I personally would have liked to see a lot of the above songs dropped in favour of some other songs that haven't been played live recently, example - drop Living after Midnight , Breaking the Law etc & play Dreamer/Dreamer Deceiver or Dissident Aggressor etc. Heading out to the Highway & United were the only surprises , United coming across very well live & poses the question why has it taken them so long to play this live again. Other highlights would be the acoustic version of Diamonds & Rust where Ripper shines, another would be the final scream in Victim of Changes, Ripper extends this effortlessly for a loooong time gaining more & more applause, verrry impressive. Bad points would be the lack of Demolition tracks, only one song played was a bit poor, even if the album isn't out I had hoped for at least 2 or 3, also the show seemed short, I'm sure they could have added some more songs but then I am maybe being greedy :)
To sum up , the Priest are back again & firing on all cylinders, anyone going to a future show wont be disappointed, more Demolition tracks no doubt will appear later in the tour, but what they will they drop from the set-list to make way will be a problem, Im sure some will say the Jug tracks, but I cant see that happening...
John